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Adult
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2022 Parish Development Forum
Theme: The Orthodox Parish as a Vessel of Ministry
—Increasing Our Capacity for Ministry
2022 Parish Development Forum Online
Friday June 17 2022; 10:00 AM EDT - 5:15 PM EDT
For Orthodox clergy and laity the Parish Development Forum is a conference which provides an opportunity for discussion of timely topics and discovery of practices used by healthy, vibrant Orthodox parishes.
Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, the Diocese of the Midwest, and the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America, the 2022 Forum will be a one day online conference that will occur Friday, June 17, 2022 between 10:00 AM and 5:15 PM EDT via Zoom.
Theme: The Orthodox Parish as a Vessel of Ministry—Increasing Our Capacity for Ministry
Ministry seems like a simple term. But ask someone in your parish “what is ministry” and you’ll get a variety of answers. We know it is not just "the priest's job" and more than "church school, choir, and parish council."
Can we learn to also see ministry as not a suggestion or even a recommendation, but rather a duty? A commandment?
Returning parishioners and newcomers yearning for expanded, updated and renewed ministries may be one the most significant opportunities for the Church in recent years.
Understanding and Motivating Ministry
The 2022 Forum will seek to heighten awareness of and interest in ministry as a critical, not optional, element of parish life and mission. We will explore:
Why is ministry—often under emphasized in the past—“suddenly" of critical importance to our parish?
Connecting personal talents and gifts with effective ministry opportunities
Overcoming ministry resistance
Enlivening new ministries
Keynote Christian Life Discipleship and Ministry
Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest, will offer the keynote address. His Grace will highlight how discipleship and ministry is easily traceable to the earliest Christian communities. Also addressed will be the question of how Christian discipleship and the ministries that arise from it can be better understood and enhanced within the context of Orthodox parish communities today.
Three Tracks of Encouraging Ministry:
Three parallel content facilitated tracks each including three sessions will be offered. Subject matter experts will contribute brief presentations and lead attendee discussion. Attendees will have an opportunity to dig deeply into areas of interest. Exploration questions and reflective articles concerning track content will be provided to attendees in advance.
Track A: Living Active Ministry—Personal, Internal, External.
This track will explore and provide practical advice for those actively serving in ministry. Segments include encouraging vocational ministry in the local neighborhood, connecting generations with one another for mutual support, and offering a ministry of presence to those in need into the parish.
Track B: Rethinking Education as Ministry—Adults and Youth.
Education is a critical element of ministry in the parish. We will examine post-pandemic changes in religious education and ways faith can be lived in action. The role of a fully functional diaconal ministry and the need for Orthodox youth to be empowered witnesses in their communities will be explored.
Track C: Leading and Coordinating Ministries.
In a context of identifying principles and good practices for strengthening your parish’s capacity for ministry, this track will delve into issues associated with effectively coordinating and leading ministries in the parish: Setting goals. Staffing. Equipping those in ministry. Selecting ministries that fit the parish resources and local context. Brainstorming to stimulate exploration of fresh ministries. Dealing with obstacles and challenges.
Send Multiple Representatives
Participation by multiple parish leaders will enable the parish maximum exposure to track content.
Budget Friendly Registration
Registration is open to clergy or lay leaders from any Orthodox jurisdiction and includes various budget-friendly freewill pricing options. Select the option that best fits your situation. Each attendee must register.
Most sessions will be recorded. Registered attendees will have access to recordings.
Login credentials for the conference will be sent to registrants a few days before the event.
Friday June 17 2022; 10:00 AM EDT - 5:15 PM EDT
For Orthodox clergy and laity the Parish Development Forum is a conference which provides an opportunity for discussion of timely topics and discovery of practices used by healthy, vibrant Orthodox parishes.
Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, the Diocese of the Midwest, and the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America, the 2022 Forum will be a one day online conference that will occur Friday, June 17, 2022 between 10:00 AM and 5:15 PM EDT via Zoom.
Theme: The Orthodox Parish as a Vessel of Ministry—Increasing Our Capacity for Ministry
Ministry seems like a simple term. But ask someone in your parish “what is ministry” and you’ll get a variety of answers. We know it is not just "the priest's job" and more than "church school, choir, and parish council."
Can we learn to also see ministry as not a suggestion or even a recommendation, but rather a duty? A commandment?
Returning parishioners and newcomers yearning for expanded, updated and renewed ministries may be one the most significant opportunities for the Church in recent years.
Understanding and Motivating Ministry
The 2022 Forum will seek to heighten awareness of and interest in ministry as a critical, not optional, element of parish life and mission. We will explore:
Why is ministry—often under emphasized in the past—“suddenly" of critical importance to our parish?
Connecting personal talents and gifts with effective ministry opportunities
Overcoming ministry resistance
Enlivening new ministries
Keynote Christian Life Discipleship and Ministry
Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest, will offer the keynote address. His Grace will highlight how discipleship and ministry is easily traceable to the earliest Christian communities. Also addressed will be the question of how Christian discipleship and the ministries that arise from it can be better understood and enhanced within the context of Orthodox parish communities today.
Three Tracks of Encouraging Ministry:
Three parallel content facilitated tracks each including three sessions will be offered. Subject matter experts will contribute brief presentations and lead attendee discussion. Attendees will have an opportunity to dig deeply into areas of interest. Exploration questions and reflective articles concerning track content will be provided to attendees in advance.
Track A: Living Active Ministry—Personal, Internal, External.
This track will explore and provide practical advice for those actively serving in ministry. Segments include encouraging vocational ministry in the local neighborhood, connecting generations with one another for mutual support, and offering a ministry of presence to those in need into the parish.
Track B: Rethinking Education as Ministry—Adults and Youth.
Education is a critical element of ministry in the parish. We will examine post-pandemic changes in religious education and ways faith can be lived in action. The role of a fully functional diaconal ministry and the need for Orthodox youth to be empowered witnesses in their communities will be explored.
Track C: Leading and Coordinating Ministries.
In a context of identifying principles and good practices for strengthening your parish’s capacity for ministry, this track will delve into issues associated with effectively coordinating and leading ministries in the parish: Setting goals. Staffing. Equipping those in ministry. Selecting ministries that fit the parish resources and local context. Brainstorming to stimulate exploration of fresh ministries. Dealing with obstacles and challenges.
Send Multiple Representatives
Participation by multiple parish leaders will enable the parish maximum exposure to track content.
Budget Friendly Registration
Registration is open to clergy or lay leaders from any Orthodox jurisdiction and includes various budget-friendly freewill pricing options. Select the option that best fits your situation. Each attendee must register.
Most sessions will be recorded. Registered attendees will have access to recordings.
Login credentials for the conference will be sent to registrants a few days before the event.
God’s Revelation in the Contemporary World
ORIC Fourth International Theological Online Conference
2-8 December 2021
Dear Archbishop Alexander,
The day of our conference is fast approaching and I can’t believe that our meeting is right around the corner!
I am glad to remind you that our conference will take place from Thursday 2 December to Wednesday 8 December every day 2-6pm UK time.
We are blessed to have Archbishop Alexander Golitzin of Dallas as a keynote speaker on Thursday at 2-3 pm UK time.
Each day we will first have a two-hour session with four related papers (2-4pm UK time), with only questions for clarification. Then after a very short break we will have 45 or more minutes for open discussion. Please see the Conference Programme here.
We will use Clickmeeting platform as our conference platform. It can be used from any device, any browser, there is nothing to download, it has a whiteboard with a presentation box and a chat area, as well as the share your screen option, it enables recording presentations while using power points and whiteboard.
Our online conference room will be opened for you on the 20th of November and you will receive the link to enter the conference room and to pre-record your talk.
We ask the speakers to pre-record their presentations, if possible. Please record your video presentations using our Clickmeeting Platform 10 days in advance, so that others could listen to your talk in their own time before the conference.
If you wish to invite your colleagues they can register for the conference here.
There will be no official conference fee not to exclude anyone for financial reasons. Donations are however welcomed according to your goodwill here.
If you have any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to let us know.
We look forward to the whole week of the inspirational discussions,
Olga and the ORIC Conference Preparation Team
2-8 December 2021
Dear Archbishop Alexander,
The day of our conference is fast approaching and I can’t believe that our meeting is right around the corner!
I am glad to remind you that our conference will take place from Thursday 2 December to Wednesday 8 December every day 2-6pm UK time.
We are blessed to have Archbishop Alexander Golitzin of Dallas as a keynote speaker on Thursday at 2-3 pm UK time.
Each day we will first have a two-hour session with four related papers (2-4pm UK time), with only questions for clarification. Then after a very short break we will have 45 or more minutes for open discussion. Please see the Conference Programme here.
We will use Clickmeeting platform as our conference platform. It can be used from any device, any browser, there is nothing to download, it has a whiteboard with a presentation box and a chat area, as well as the share your screen option, it enables recording presentations while using power points and whiteboard.
Our online conference room will be opened for you on the 20th of November and you will receive the link to enter the conference room and to pre-record your talk.
We ask the speakers to pre-record their presentations, if possible. Please record your video presentations using our Clickmeeting Platform 10 days in advance, so that others could listen to your talk in their own time before the conference.
If you wish to invite your colleagues they can register for the conference here.
There will be no official conference fee not to exclude anyone for financial reasons. Donations are however welcomed according to your goodwill here.
If you have any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to let us know.
We look forward to the whole week of the inspirational discussions,
Olga and the ORIC Conference Preparation Team
Diocesan Catechist and Diaconal Program
The Bulgarian Diocese is pleased to announce our new program for training parish catechists and "late vocation" diaconal candidates.
Areas covered include:
Spirituality
Scripture
Church History and Doctrine
Liturgy and Church Life.
Each course meets online. The courses include six or seven sessions that last one to three hours. The course meets every three weeks. The entire program lasts a year and a half, offering 84 hours of interactive classes.
For more information about program costs and registration, please see the PDF file below.
Spirituality
Scripture
Church History and Doctrine
Liturgy and Church Life.
Each course meets online. The courses include six or seven sessions that last one to three hours. The course meets every three weeks. The entire program lasts a year and a half, offering 84 hours of interactive classes.
For more information about program costs and registration, please see the PDF file below.
Download
Diocesan Catechist and Diaconal Program Information, Cost & Registration
New to Orthodoxy?
Here is Some Recommended Reading
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The Orthodox Church
by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia A clear, detailed introduction to the Orthodox Church, written for the non-Orthodox as well as for Orthodox Christians who wish to know more about their tradition. |
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The Orthodox Way
by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia A classic account of the belief, worship, and life of the Orthodox Church. This is a book which reveals the meaning of life for all Christians. |
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For the Life of the World
by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann Beloved author Fr. Alexander Schmemann explains in this classic how the Orthodox approach to the world stems from the liturgical life of the Church. |
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The Faith We Hold
by Archbishop Paul of Finland Describes the basic elements of the Orthodox Faith in three sections: doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual. |
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The Orthodox Faith
by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko Comprehensive information on Orthodox Doctrine, Worship, Bible and Church History, and Spirituality| |
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Orthodox Christians in North America: 1794-1994
by Mark Stokoe and the Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky A historical look at the establishment of Orthodoxy on the North American Continent, celebrating the 200th Anniversary. |
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Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy
by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann A stimulating survey and interpretation of the history of the Orthodox Church. |
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The Orthodox Church: 455 Questions and Answers
by Fr. Stanley Harakas Questions by real people sent in to the Hellenic Chronicle newspaper and answered by Fr Stanley Harakas, a well-known Orthodox ethicist and teacher. Questions range from the spiritual to the mundane. |
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The Living God: A Catechism for the Christian Faith
translated by Olga Dunlop For parents, teachers, pastors, and all who wish to understand the sources of the Church's revelation. A "seeker" poses questions and a "sage" answers them, representing the Church's explanation of those questions. |
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Orthodox Spirituality: A Brief Introduction
by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos, Hierotheos (Vlachos) Metropolitan Heirotheos contends that Orthodox spirituality differs markedly from the "spiritualities" of the East and the West. The difference in the dogma generates the difference in ethos as well. |
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The Incarnate God: The Feasts of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary
Ed. by Catherine Aslanoff This book draws on the rich resources of the Orthodox tradition to present a holistic vision of the faith derived from the Church's liturgical year. |
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The Year of Grace of the Lord
by A Monk of the Eastern Church A scriptural and liturgical commentary on the calendar of the Orthodox Church, and a guide to the scriptural readings and prayers. |
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These titles and other books can be purchased through the following retailers.
St. Tikhon's Seminary Bookstore |
Ancient Faith Store |
St. Vladimir's Seminary Bookstore |
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PO Box 3027
Munster, IN 46321 Toll-Free: (800) 967-7377 Email: orders@ancientfaith.com Web: store.ancientfaith.com |
South Canaan, PA 18459
Office: 717-937-4390 Toll-Free: 1-888-454-6678 Email: bookstore@stots.edu Web: http://www.stspress.com |
575 Scarsdale Road
Crestwood, NY 10707-4519 Office: 914-961-2203 Toll-Free: 1-800-204-BOOK (for credit card orders) Email: bookstore@svots.edu Web: http://www.svspress.com |